Spring Cleaning- Outside Living Area

I have been horrible about pictures updates on here, and I will get them up. I will also get the link page for Friday's "after" on our Kitchen/ dining area. I will have to do that tomorrow, because I cannot do 2 linkies on the same day. I apologize. I have been crazy busy, and it is extending into this week, unfortunately. But, with God's help and my obedience, I will get everything that God sees important, this week.

So this week is the outdoor living area! I LOVE this area, because it seriously is where we LIVE in the summer! Daytime, supper, evening (after working outside). We hardly ever eat inside, unless it's raining. We enjoy being outside. I love taking food from the garden, preparing our meal then serving it just feet away from the garden itself. I am so thankful to be able to be enjoying food and look out into the garden and see right where I got it from! I love that.

So are we ready?

Our plan for our outdoor areas:

• Clean-up! Rake up, sweep, hose down.
• Is your outdoor furniture in good condition? Does it need repaired? Does it need a good cleaning? Do it now.
• Clean out your flower beds and pots. Pull weeds!
• Start planting! Plant flowers, herbs, etc.
• Clean your grill. Take off the part of the grill that the meat goes on, and take it in the house and give it a good scrubbing with soap and hot water. Rinse it well. But it back on! Your grill is clean and ready!
• Set out your furniture and set out your pots.
• Decorate! This is STILL a living area, and can be nicely decorated! Make sure the items you decorate with are painted to be able to withstand weather, or that you bring them in in rainy weather. Don't be afraid to get creative!
  
• Anything else need done? Do it now!

Enjoy your newly cleaned outdoor living area!

Now let's link up!

Spring Cleaning- Kitchen

Have I been horrible at taking my after pics?! I can't believe these weeks are just flying by. And so many more things to do. If I set aside chores (barn), kid's activities, and regular housecleaning, I would still have church things (Women's ministry party coming up in May, board meeting in 2 weeks- need to have board minutes done, worship team, nursery schedules made, small group, and finishing up the pictorial directory layout! ) and all of the unexpected things that come along. Am I singin' a tune anyone else knows? :)

Well, today start the biggest job I will have in my home. The kitchen.

But first, some "fun" facts for you today...

Top Ten Dirtiest things in Your Home:

#1. The Bathtub
#2. The Kitchen Drain
#3. The Telephone
#4. Your Toothbrush
#5. The Remote Control
#6. Computer Keyboard and Mouse
#7. Wooden Cutting Board
#8. Behind Appliances
#9. The Top of the Refrigerator
#10. Doorknobs

This coming from Howtocleanstuff.net

Several of these items you see here are found in the KITCHEN!

On another search of the GERMIEST places:

#1- Sponges (solution: run through dishwasher or in microwave)

#2- Women's purses (where do you set your purse when you potty in public? And then wash your hands?)

#3- Men's Wallets (you sit on them and keep them nice and warm...)

#4- Make-up Case

#5- Remote Control

#6- Pillows & Mattress (The average person sheds about 1.5 million skin cells per hour and perspires one quart per day while doing nothing...)

#7- Refillable liquid soap dispensers! (They suggest not to reuse them!)

#8- PDAs, Personal digital assistants ( like a Blackberry)

#9- Phones

#10- Bottoms of desks drawers (inside, because of food and things stored in desks)

#11- Computer Mouse

#12- Door Handles

These were compiled by Life Script.

You ready to clean yet?

So, let's get started:

• Start with a general clean-up of your kitchen
• Go cupboard by cupboard

- Take everything out, look at expirations, wipe down shelving, add shelf liners, reorganize

- Fix squeaky doors, add bumpers to doors so they don't slam shut

- Put "like" things together, so thing are more organized

- Put stockpiled items in a separate location???

- Consider taking inventory of what you have.

• Take everything off of your counters- wipe down everything, remove anything that does not need to be there.
• Wipe down all cupboard fronts
• Clean all decorations, wipe down with damp cloth or wash in soapy water
• Refrigerator

- Clean off top

- Take everything out (check expirations)

- Wipe down shelves, or take out and wash

- Put things back in, organize

- Add a box of baking soda, to take away odors

• Freezer (clean out the same way as fridge)
• Microwave (heat a cup of water with 1/2 cup of lemon juice for 2 minutes, then wipe down inside!)
• Clean oven top and inside!
• Clean oven vent hood.
• Garbage Can- Clean out, wipe down, clean garbage area
• Clean floors, windows, curtains

Dining Area

• Thoroughly wipe down table tops and legs, underside
• get a new centerpiece for spring or revive the old one!
• Clean floors thoroughly
• Clean decor
• Get rid of anything that doesn't belong
• Clean windows and curtains
• Thought about saving money on napkins? Get cloth ones!

Oh, where to start! I guess with a general clean-up... Then my goals are to get some cupboards organized. I have been making a lot more food from scratch, and thus needing less of the "boxed" foods. So I need to reorganize the spaces where I kept some of the boxed items.

I also want to do a THOROUGH wipe down of everything. I did this about a month ago actually. I caught a mouse under my sink (the "entry point" is where I keep all of my cleaners!), and it grossed me out so much, I cleaned and wiped down a bunch at that time. I want to do this again, and extend it to other parts of my kitchen.

What is YOUR plan? Please share in the comments section, or by linking up!

Spring Cleaning- Living Room, Pt. 2

What a beautiful week here in Indiana! It was nice to be able to wear a light jacket, and pull your hair back (aka WINDY!), and be able to work outside! I am SO glad Spring is here! Aren't you? Sorry my posting hasn't been as frequent, I am currently praying over a new routine in my life, and it is in the beginning "action" stage. I will share about that another day...

But for now, we need to share how we did on our Living room!

On my living room, I told you I had just worked on it some the week before. Well, this week called for finishing up finding proper spots for things that didn't find their spots last week, more thorough dusting on other shelves and our ceiling fan, etc...

I still want to get the carpets cleaned soon, which I did not get accomplished this week. But definitely will! And I am pretty happy with how it turned out!

I will get my picture up later on this afternoon (when I can get a daytime shot, and after I get home from taking a baby sheep to my son's Preschool!)... so stay tuned!

Now for YOU to share!!! Can't wait to see them!

Spring Cleaning- Living Room!

Good Monday to all of my friends! It is the start of another beautiful week of Spring! Last week on our Children's Rooms challenge, I was so busy during the week, I got very little accomplished in their rooms. This week, I hope, is a slower week, and I am going to work on their rooms as well as the Living Room!


Are you all ready to work on our living rooms this week?

Here is your assignments:

• Take everything off of shelves, tables, out of drawers, baskets etc. Wipe down, dust, sweep!
• Get rid of any un-needed items (garage sale/ donation!)
• dust/ sweep off ceiling fan, sweep down cobwebs!
• Clean off your furniture! (Make sure to look at your furniture's manufacturer's directions on how to clean!) Sweep out furniture, tip back & sweep under!
• Clean windows, blinds, curtains, screens
• Dust/ clean pictures on the walls and on tables/ shelves, replace old pics with new ones if needed!
• This would be a great time to clean the carpets! Wash rugs, sweep floor.
• Rid out those old magazines you don't read anymore, or won't read. Throw away or donate.
• Go through music, tapes, CD's, DVD's, etc. Get rid of the things you won't watch or listen to any more. Donate or set aside for garage sale.
• Replace seasonal decor. Decorate for Spring/summer!
• Does anything need replaced? Fix it now, or get rid of it!
• Put everything back! Step back and take a picture! Very nice!

Last week, we had a family garage sale and I got rid of an old shelf and got a new, bigger one. SO I spent my Wednesday night last week cleaning and rearranging my living room until late. So I actually got a lot of the shelf cleaning done and organizing done, BUT there is still more to accomplish (always is!). Here is what my living room looks like this morning, a little bit of disorganization from the weekend but ready for a good DEEP cleanin'!




Who's with me? Don't give up now, we are almost to the end! If you haven't joined us for any of the other challenges but would like to join us today, please do! We would LOVE to have you! So join us on your blog, or add yourself to the comments and just let us know what you are working on this week!

Spring Cleaning- Children's Bedrooms, Pt. 2

Friday! Yay! Well, kind of...

We are finishing up on children's rooms, and hopefully this week you were able to take this challenge with us! This is a room that can VERY easily get out of hand. Especially in children who are able to dress themselves!

Cleaning out clothes that are too small, cleaning out trash, cleaning out broken or unused toys/ games, will make your children's room a LOT nicer place, and then when you want them to CLEAN their room, it will be a lot easier for them to do so!

So how did you do this week? My pics will be coming by Monday. Garage sale, 4H, animals, bees and MANY other things have kept me OUT of the house! So I will be posting them by Monday...

Please link up below or share in the comments how you did this week!

Spring Cleaning- Children's Rooms

Oh my... this last week was nothing short of tiresome and hectic for us! But life doesn't stop for the weary! I just need to remember to stop and pray over what I am doing. Which are the MOST important things to do? What does GOD consider the most important? We may be surprised, but He probably has different priorities for us each day... And I need to remember to seek that each day. I encourage you to pray over each thing you do, or desire to do each day... And then your day WILL be productive. So as you join in this challenge, pray over what you are doing! You will be blessed!

So, this week is our children's rooms. If your family is anything like mine, this can be a MAJOR chore! But with prayer and a determination to succeed at this challenge, we will accomplish a mighty work! :)

This week, we can to do the following:

• Rid through the toys! Remember to use the 3 boxes: trash, keep or garage sale/donate. If there is anything broken (not fixable) trash it. If there is something you want to keep, keep it temporarily in the keep box. And anything that is still in good shape but you want to get rid of, put it in the donate/ garage sale box for now. After you have all toys rid out of their homes (toy box, baskets, etc) clean the “home” out. Sweep it, wipe it down, whatever. The toys you are keeping, is the best spot in the toy box or should it be in a separate basket with other “like” items (like Legos, Barbies, Hot Wheels Cars, etc).


• Rid through clothes. Go through drawers, shelves and closets. Look at all of the clothes, are they the right size? Are they never worn? Are they too ruined to wear for anything beside playing? I usually put my clothes in a tote with the size market on the outside. I have totes from 0-3 months all the way up to size 8-10 right now, and when one boy out grows a size, I put it in the tote for the next boy! You can use your sorting system (keep, trash, donate) to weed through all of the clothes. The ones that you are keeping should all have a spot! That way, your child knows where to put them. Right now, you can also be preparing for spring by writing down which clothes you need to get (for the warm weather) for each child.


• Wash bed sheets, comforters, pillows. You may wash bed sheets often, but usually the comforters and pillows rarely get washed . You can stick pillows in the washer (if it is big enough). And the dryer fluffs them right up.
  
• Dust. This one will be a chore for me, because the boys like to “display” lots of stuff on their dressers and any other flat top in their room. So remove everything from the tops of dressers, bedside tables, shelves, etc. Use your sorting system for this stuff. Then dust! Dust ever surface in the room that could collect dust, even along the bed rails, window sills, etc. Then put everything that you are keeping, back.


• Wash down walls, windows, ceiling fan/ wash curtains. My boys play outside then go to their rooms and leave little dirty prints. Wash parts on the wall beside their beds, beside doorways, etc. Clean windows, inside and out. Spray off screens, if needed. And wash any curtains or blinds.
  


• Clean from under the bed. Using your system, then putting everything where it needs to go.


• Clean out the closet. I know we have sorted the clothes, but there is PROBABLY more in there then just clothes! Use your system to take care of those things.
  

• Is everything working in their room? Are all of the light bulbs in working order? Does anything need fixed? Are all of the dresser drawers in working order? Fix anything that needs it this week, or get rid of it!
  


• Sweep! Now, everything should have a place, so you should have a clean floor. Sweep it, and spot clean any carpets. Wash any rugs.
  
  
• Do you need to decorate? If you have been wanting to decorate your child’s room, do it this week!


• Does your child have a laundry hamper? If your child does not have a place to put their dirty laundry, then obviously it ends up on the floor and under beds. Get them a clothes basket or hamper to put those dirties in.


• Does your child like a light on at night? Use night-lights, which are low wattage, instead of leaving larger-wattage hall or room lights on at night. This will save you money in the long run.


• Last but not least, pray over your child’s room, and your child. You want your child to have nothing but good memories of living at home. And God’s blessing as they grow.

Here are pics of my boy's rooms:



Now it's YOUR turn! Link up or share in the comments what you are doing this week!

Tomorrow- Spring Cleaning

Don't Forget! Tomorrow we are starting to Spring Clean our children's rooms! If you are like me, this is going to be a major undertaking- And to be honest- NOT a great week for me! BUT, it has to be done! Who's with me?

See you tomorrow!

Spring Cleaning- Office Area, Pt. 2

Friday... This week has truly been a whirlwind week! Last week was Spring Break for my kids and I thought this week was going to be better, but after posting my Spring Cleaning on Monday, I went to our barn and found we had a sheep in labor! We started last Fall raising Jacob sheep, and had a female bred, and then bought a young male and female. Well, Monday we had 2 sheep, Tuesday we had 12 puppies, and yesterday we had another sheep (from our young one)! You can see all that has been going on HERE... On top of that I have been trying to get things ready for a garage sale and keep house...

So, I will be posting my pics later this afternoon... assuming I won't find any new surprises when I go down this morning!

So, how did you all do today? Please share!

Spring Cleaning- Office Area (And Laundry Pt. 2)

Sorry, I didn't post on Friday a follow-up to our Laundry Area. We were busy Friday, with kids and hubby off, and with Good Friday services at our church (which I was a part of...). I DID actually get my laundry done. Well, as done as it will get! Our basement is an large, unfinished room. The laundry is in one corner. So, I cleaned and swept down everything. I cleaned the tops of the washer/ dryer. I even moved a table into the area so I could fold laundry in the basement. There is one thing my hubby doesn't like, and it is laundry piled up in our living room (where I usually sit and fold it). And I try to respect his wishes. He is not a picky guy, and he doesn't make a big deal of it, but I want to try to make things better for when he comes home. By having the laundry in the basement! :)

Here is my after photo:


I don't know if you can see a difference or not!!! But I can, that's what counts, right? :)

So on to the Office area!!! Are you ready!?

The Office Area... Some of you may have a room that is your office, or if you are like me you just have a small space in a larger room that is your office. Whatever you have, your office should be the "hub" of a woman who is Beautiful to God! Think of all of the planning, all of the organizing that could take place in our office area!

So, let's get organized so we can really work as efficient as possible.

• First, take everything out. Clear shelves, clean out drawers, clean off table tops, etc. As you are taking it all out of where it was, decide if you should keep it, trash it, sell it, or here's a new one, file it (my hubby loves that one). Then Do It!
• Second, dust, wash down and sweep before you put anything back.
• Reorganize! Let's not let our areas get out of control again. Use baskets, tubs, shelves, files, etc to help us organize!
• Put it all back! Find a home for everything that is going to work the best. For example, do you use a hole punch (for example) a lot? Do you store it in the lower shelf, and hate to put it back so then it lays on the table of desk, out of place? Put frequently used items in a easy to reach spot, so you can ALSO put them away just as easy!
• Do you have a coupon stash, like I do? Are they organized like they should be? Have you been wanting to try another system to organize? DO it this week! I use a binder for mine, with baseball card pages. But you may want to use envelopes or even a shoebox! Whatever it is, make sure it works the best for YOU.
• Take a list of all of the supplies that you need, or will need in the near future. Then as sales come, you can pick those items up, and not have to pay full price. We have a Staples that has good sales every now and then, and places also have great sales starting around July! Don't forget that!
• What about decoration? Do you need to redecorate to make you feel more excited to use this area? Do IT!

Oh, heaven help me. I can't believe I am actually admitting my "office area" (aka- my desk) looks this way! But, all in the name of encouragement! RIGHT???


In the last few weeks, this "area" got DUMPED on. I ask the boys to clean up the living room, or clear off the table, and anything that is mine, usually gets thrown onto the desk. I just have this little desk in my dining/ kitchen area. SO not a lot of space to put much! But it all gets shoved under the roll-top...

I have SO been looking forward to this week! I need this area back in order BIG time! How about you??? How does your office area look today??? Please share in the comments section or by linking up!

Praise Him!!!

Heb 10:10 Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that he made of his own body once and for all.

Thank you Jesus, for your gift of eternal life with you in heaven. Thank you for dying on the cross for the very people who beat and mocked you. May we all learn a lesson. Thank you for defeating sin and the grave, all for us. Thank you for the painful sacrifice that You made, may we be walking proof of your unfailing grace and love. Thank you JESUS!!!

Have a wonderful day, in celebration of the One who deserves all of our honor and praise!

Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning Laundry Results will be on Monday, along with Spring Cleaning the Office. To see the list and dates of Spring Cleaning, go HERE.

In the mean time, have a wonderful weekend of celebration for the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Lamb of God, the One and only one worthy of all our praise!

Spring Cleaning- Laundry Area

Oh boy! This last week was BUSY! Birthdays, projects, garden, more birthdays...

This week, I need to regain focus! This week we are looking at our laundry area. I say area, because some of us have nice rooms all for laundry, but some of us don't. The laundry area is simply the area that houses you washer /dryer, and other laundry supplies.

That area for ME is my unfinished basement:



It's a very small space with NO organization, I sometimes get a nice tool selection on the top of the dryer, when I do laundry clothes sit on the ground right in front of the washer and dryer...

Many Problems!

Some facts about laundry:

• The average American family does 8–10 loads of laundry each week (AHAM). (found here from GE)
• A single load of laundry, from wash to dry, takes an average of one hour and twenty seven minutes to complete (AHAM). (found here from GE)
• What happens to the germs and bacteria that are in and on our clothing? Does it go down the drain? Go HERE and read about how it DOESN'T.
• U.S. consumers wash more than 660 million loads every week, or about 35 billion wash loads a year, totaling 100 million tons of clothes. That translates to 1,000 wash loads started in the United States every second of every day. (found here)

What can you do to keep that Laundry Area Clean?

* Wash hands after sorting laundry

* Wash hands after transferring wet laundry to the dryer

* Launder underwear at the end, not the beginning, of laundry loads

* Use liquid bleach in underwear washloads, if possible

* If bleach is not used, sanitize the machine's surfaces by simply running an empty wash cycle on cold water. Add one cup of bleach to the wash-water.

What's the Plan This Week???

• Clean out the laundry area, wipe down everything (probably with some sort of bleach based product!), sweep.
• Rid out anything that does not need to be in the area. This area can get cluttered anyways!
• Organize! Bring in baskets, hampers, hangers, etc and organize!
• Wipe down Washer and dryer (inside and out!)
• Is everything working? If it isn't replace or fix anything that needs it.
• Decorate?

So, what is YOUR plan this week??? Care to share?! Please link up or add a comment! I would LOVE to see or hear what you are doing this week!!!

Spring Cleaning- Master Bath, Pt. 2

Oh My! It's Friday! This week has been cRaZY!!! It is Spring Break for my boys, and everyday has seemed like Saturday! So, sorry I am posting this so late!!! Schedules are WAY OFF!

So, I don't have pics, but as you saw Monday, there isn't a lot to do. I sorted through all of the supplies I had in my tub, and donated some items, and now I just have to find a permanent spot for the rest of the things....

Nothing exciting! And Of COURSE, my eggs are going to hatch any day! So, we still have the incubator in there too!

So, how did you do this week??? Please share with pics!

And don't forget, next week is the Laundry Area!!!

Spring Cleaning- Master Bath

Good morning! I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend! We had a busy one as usual! This week is Spring Break for our kids, and we also have 5 birthdays in 9 days, so BUSY!!!

Today, we are starting our Spring Cleaning in our Master Bath or our Second Bathroom, OR starting something else that I don't have on our Spring Cleaning list (HERE). So, here we go- our outline is basically going to be the same as our Main Bathroom was:

If you want to read about all of the nasty germs in the bathroom, go HERE. Believe me it will motivate you to clean your bathroom!

• Give the shower/tub area a good scrub down. Use a really good cleaner and even get out a scrub brush and scrub every inch of that shower. Use this as an opportunity to clean out any unused items from the shower, like the rest of that conditioner that you don't use anymore, or the old razor.
  
• Also, replace you shower curtain, if it needs it. If you have a cloth one, take it off and wash it this week. Usually they recommend not drying these in the dryer, so they should be fine hanging them a little damp. My suggestion would be to wash the curtain either first thing in the morning or right before bed. And let it dry at a time when not many people will touch it. I would do it during the day when my boys are at school.
  
• Sweep. Wipe down the floors and the walls with a disinfecting cleaner.

• Clean the mirror. Wash your curtains. All of these things on the walls and floor will catch any germs as the toilet is being flushed with the lid up.
  
• Clean your sink. Clean Anything that is also sitting around your sink. I use an old toothbrush around the faucet fixture. You would be grossed out on how much dirt those boys drag in... Summer is horrible! And then it sits around the faucet. Make sure you are wiping down your sink area DAILY. Especially if anyone in you home is sick with colds or flu.
  
• Rid out you cupboards. Organize! This is needed in my bathroom! I get so many good deals on things in all kind of gets shoved in our cupboards and then, doesn't really scream organized. Add baskets and drawers, as needed to organize your toothbrushes, combs, and other person items.
• Have a laundry hamper. This seems to go with out saying but it does reduce a lot of mess in a bathroom if there is somewhere for those dirties to go! And if you already have a hamper make sure you clean it!!! This is also a place for germs and bacteria. Spray this down regularly with a disinfecting spray.
  
• If everything working? Make sure you get those things fixed this week. Are all of the light bulbs working? Anything else need done?
  
• Last but not least, how is the decorating? Did you want to do anything different? Add anything new? Now's the time!

Now, you can link up with pics of your bathroom ! Pics will motivate you to come back and show us that it CAN look better!

With my Master Bathroom, it is unfinished! Surprise! And it probably won't get finished this week. You may see from the pics there really isn't much to do, BUT there is one major job. And it's all in the tub. In the tub is where I had tried to keep my extra "deals" on soap, toothpaste, deodorant, Kleenex, etc. This week I am determined to find a spot for these things and clean out that tub! Even if I have to get a cardboard box and store it all in. THEN, maybe if I have the bathroom ALL cleaned out, we will be motivated to DO something to it.... or not. Oh, and right now we are hatching baby chicks in my bathroom! Yes, I'm a farm girl... Those should be hatched by Sunday! :)

Here are the before pic:

So, what room are YOU cleaning today??? Please share!!!

Spring Cleaning- Master Bedroom, Part 2

So, how did it go this week? I know it was beautiful outside, and hard to stay inside and clean! But, I got it done!

I swept. I moved sweeper parts and table leaves (oh my!) from sitting up against the wall in my bedroom, to our new closets in our entry room! Woot! ( Pics in a sec!) I also tried to organize what we had in our closet, and I got some shirts that I could wear in Spring and brought them out (I am hopeful!) I just cleaned out most everything about 2 months ago, so didn't have too much extra in there... There wasn't TOO much to do, just CLEANING! Oh, today I am washing my bedsheets, comforter, and pillow shams. Maybe, I can hang them out on the line! Cleaning that I usually put off because no one sees that room, right? (that statement is WRONG, by the way...) :)

So, Here are the pics of my master bedroom AFTER cleaning:




A few weeks ago, we were working on our Entry room. Here is the "before" pic:

Horrible! We lived with that for 3 years. We couldn't do dry wall, besides being too expensive , we just aren't "skilled" in drywalling! So we did a bead board type on the walls and closets. And LOTS of painting! We still need to work on shelving, which hubby will make to keep costs low... And I have some decor I want to put up. But here is the after:

So, how did you all do this week???
Link up and share!
Don't forget, next week we are working on the Master Bath/ Secondary Bath or some other part of the house that isn't on the list of "to clean" areas!

Groceries This Week...

Ahh, grocery time already! In shopping this week, I grabbed up some more baking supplies. SOMEDAY those supplies will take over the expenses of the other pre-made items (or lots of them anyways!).

This weekend, and next week we have 3 birthdays in this house! My oldest son will be 9 and my youngest will be 2! My hubby will also be having a birthday. As well as MY mother and my hubby's mother! So there will be LOTS of partying the next 2 weeks. So, I had to buy a tub of ice cream ($5.99), I wanted to MAKE it with our DELISH recipe, but the 2 different milks would have been $9-10. So I went cheaper! :S

I also am making the cakes, so I had to get supplies to make the cakes. I actually had a "baking day" yesterday with my sister, in which I baked NOTHING! I put together a few mixes that are ready to bake! So, instead of $1.-$1.25 for a cake mix, I probably have $.40 in one cake mix? It could be lower than that, with out wanting to figure too low. Look HERE for a great yellow cake mix recipe, that upfront you will have to buy dry milk, but you only use 1/2 cup each time, so you could get LOTS of uses out of one box!

Back to groceries! So here is what I got this week for $74. (56 items) at Aldi's & Meijer:



There is a lot in this picture! I have a huge pack of toilet paper ($5.49), ice cream ($5.99), dry milk ($5.99), 6 milks ($2.29 ea.), 3 soy milk ($2.94 ea), I bought some stock-up items that I didn't really need, but want to be building my pantry with my basic supplies, such as oil and cocoa. I also picked up other items that were a good price but didn't really NEED at this time. But with these items, you can throw them in your freezer or pantry and have them stocked up "just in case". These items you won't have to pay for later at full price! For me, this week that was hot dogs (my family only likes these grilled or over the fire!), boxed potatoes (for some reason hubby LOVES these and they were free with coupon), chex mix (also a free item), olives, refried beans (which I hope to make these on my own someday soon!), butter, margarine...

So, for next week, which will be my last shopping day of the week, I have $62. to spend on groceries. Then the following week, I am going to do another "supply" run to our bulk supply store.

How are you doing on your groceries? I hope you are achieving the goals that you have for your family! Can I help in any way? Now, it's time to go clean! :)

Spring Cleaning- Master Bedroom

Today is Master Bedroom day! My master bedroom doesn't get too messy or dirty, but I tend to neglect my room because no one sees it. Well, except for my number #1 and he deserves a nice space too, so I need to make sure this stays on my weekly cleaning schedule.

Let’s not forget, get a box for donations/ garage sale items, a box for things to keep, and a box for trash. I will be using all of those this week!

This week we need to:

• Rid through all of your clothes. I just did this not too long ago, but I need to have hubby work on his. So, put away (or get rid of) all clothing that does not fit you at this moment. Also, get rid (donate or garage sale) all clothing that you don’t wear, or won’t wear. Also, how is your summer clothes? Go through those this week and see what you need to get between now and a few weeks from now when it starts to feel like summer!!!


• Clean out closet. This may kind of be what you just did, but this includes everything. Are there shoes in there that need thrown out. Are there old purses that you will never use again? Anything else? Rid through it all. Put it in the appropriate boxes. Sweep, and get into those corners, top and bottom. Dust shelves.



• Organize closet. Put all of the items back into the closet. Do you need baskets, or other organizational help? Get those this week. Go through your dressers. Do the same thing that you did in your closet, for your drawers. Then put everything back that you are keeping, and use currently.



• Bedside table. Clean! My bedside table is covered with pictures and little mementos that my boys love to give me and “decorate” my table with. So, I need to clean and try to organize all of my prizes! Go through drawers, stacks of books, magazines, etc. What can go? What needs to stay?



• Wash bed sheets, comforters, pillows, etc. Does a big winter blanket need to get put away for the winter? Wash it up and put it away for next season. Vacuum your mattress. You don’t even want to know the info I just read on dust mites living in your beds and pillows (well, if you do you can look it up in your Swagbucks bar **shudder**. ) At this time, also dust your headboard and footboard, with whatever cleaner works best (wood cleaner, water, etc).



• Clean your windows, screens, curtains, blinds & ceiling fan!



• Dust. Take things off shelves, tables, etc. Dust and determine if it really needs to stay there. If not put it in the appropriate box.




• Clean out from under bed. Some people I know use under their beds for storage. Clean those storage areas, and make sure you need to keep everything that you are storing. Sweep before you put anything back. Sweep the entire room.




• Everything working? If something is not working, replace it, fix it, or whatever.




• Did you want to redecorate this week? It’s a great week to start!

Here are my pics:Eeek!


Actually, you may see somethings in this pic (sweeper parts!) that will be moved to my new closets in my Entry Way. I will be showing you pics of my ONCE HORRIBLE but now wonderful Entry Room on Friday along with my afters for my Master Bedroom! Man, this room needs some reorganizing!!! AHHH!

Get your before pictures and post them on your blog. Remember- they don’t need to be pretty! That is what Friday is for! So, by Friday then link up again, and show us what a great job you were able to do this week!

Spring Cleaning- Main Bath, Part 2

It' s Friday, and you all know what that means!? Spring Cleaning Day!!! See the beginning of these challenge HERE.

I didn't have a LOT to do, just cleaning and organizing! So, I spent a few hours one day doing just that. From my picture, you can still see all of the things in the trash that I threw out. It was the type of stuff you keep around, because you don't know what to do with, and you hate to throw it out. Well, I took the plunge and threw it out!

I also reorganized what was there and wiped EVERYTHING down. This picture doesn't look as good as it does in person, but I am happy that now the cupboard is organized!!!



It feels good to have all of the walls wiped down, and the floor also wiped clean.

And now that we have our bathrooms deep cleaned, we need to make sure weekly (at least) we wipe down the major traffic spots (around the pot, the sink, sink handles, cupboard doors and handles, shower, sinks, door handles, etc).

I also make sure I replace our hand towel DAILY. With 4 little boys, you never know WHAT is on a towel. I've actually seen my youngest LICKING the towel... yeah. And not just once, MULTIPLE times. I'm not sure if that means he has a vitamin deficiency... ;)

So, how did YOU do this week??? Please share with a link to your blog OR in the comments section! And visit these blogs! It is awesome not only to see how everyone did, but to be an encouragement! (Don't forget: Next week is cleaning the Master Bedroom!!!)

Link up!